Carefree, Jade thrusts her hands in the air, and she begins to jump up and down when a fresh beat pulses through the club. Lifting her eyes to the top floor, our gazes collide.
I swear I can feel a spark even though there’s a distance between us.
Then Mila throws her head back and laughs as she turns in a circle before swaying to the beat, and it draws Jade’s attention away from me.
“Jase, you’re missing one hell of a show from Mila,” I manage to say without taking my eyes off the girls.
He bumps into me as he comes to sit closer and then lets out a groan. “Damn, she’s going to kill me one of these days. Death by blue balls.”
I let out a bark of laughter that fizzles away when some guy, who must have a death wish, sidles up behind Jade. He takes hold of her hips, and when his pelvis is practically glued to her ass, I shoot up from my chair.
“I’m coming too,” Jase hollers, almost tripping over my chair in his hurry to get up.
I race down the stairs, and as I stalk toward Jade, she pulls an awkward face at Mila, then her gaze sweeps through the dancing throng of people around her until they still on me.
Reaching Jade, I take hold of her arm and pull her against me, and with my right hand, I shove the guy backward and growl, “Get away from her.”
“Sorry, I thought she was fair game,” he slurs.
Fair game?
Keeping my hold on Jade, I pull back my right arm and let my first connect with the fucker’s jaw. He staggers back a couple of steps, and when Jase comes to stand next to me, the guy quickly skulks back into the crowd.
Knowing Mila is safe with Jase, I turn around and pull Jade after me. I’m done watching her dance half-naked while drunk fuckers grind their limp dicks against her ass.
I drag her right out of the club and toward my car.
“Are you guys leaving already?” Kao asks, grabbing my attention. He and Noah must’ve just gotten here.
“Yeah. Keep an eye on Fallon and Hana. I left them at our table,” I bite the words out because I have zero chill right now.
“Drive safely,” Kao calls after us.
Jade has been surprisingly quiet, but as I dig my car keys out of my pocket, she says, “I think I should drive. You’ve had a lot to drink tonight.”
I’m not going to argue with her about that, but I can’t resist taunting her. “Yeah, and how would you know?” Tilting my head, my voice drops low, “Have you been watching me, Jade?”
“Just give me the keys. We can talk at home.” There’s no sign of her ever-present fire and spark, and it grinds against my last nerve.
I shove the car keys into her outstretched hand and stalk around the car to the passenger side.
After Jade slides in behind the wheel, she stretches her body over mine, which instantly makes every single one of my muscles tighten. “Just helping with your seat belt,” she whispers as she straps me in.
I’m clenching my jaw so damn hard, I won’t be surprised if I crack a tooth.
Jade starts the engine, and the vehicle roars to life. My heartbeat is still erratic and just as out of control as my emotions as she drives us back to the dorms.
Where I get the strength from to not lay into her, God only knows.
She’s hardly brought the car to a standstill outside of our building when I shove the door open and climb out. The anger that’s been simmering on the way home begins to bubble back to the surface. Grabbing her hand, I drag her toward the elevator, and once we're in the confined space, I glare at her.
“I think we should wait to talk until you’ve sobered up,” she says cautiously.
Shaking my head, I say, “No, it’s happening tonight.”
The elevator doors slide open, and Jade follows me to the front door. Once we’re both inside, I slam the thing shut behind us and turn my thunderous gaze on her. “Did you enjoy wearing next to nothing tonight?”
“Huh?” Her expression instantly turns to confusion.
Angrily, I gesture over the length of her body. “That fucking dress can’t even be compared to a t-shirt!”
Jade frowns at me, her expression clearly stating she thinks I’ve lost my mind. “Did you lose your shit because of my outfit?”
“It was either that or have every fucking guy in the club rubbing up against you,” I bark.
“Seriously?” There’s a spark of anger in her dark eyes. “So, you didn’t drag me out of the club so we could finally talk about what happened over the past two years?”
“That’s a whole different story,” I snap, growing frustrated that she didn’t even realize how provocative her outfit looked. “Dressed like that, you might as well go stand on the nearest corner.”